Category Archives: Elementary Schools

2014 Bilingual Teacher of the Year now serves at the first U.S. campus she attended

Sharon Samuel discusses life cycles with her second graders at J.P. Henderson Elementary School, May 16, 2014. (Dave Einsel / Houston ISD)

Sharon Samuel discusses life cycles with her second graders.

When Sharon Samuel first moved to the United States as a nine-year-old, she was terrified that her limited English skills would prevent her from making friends and succeeding in school. But a positive experience with her very first teacher here not only helped to quell her anxieties about fitting in but also set the stage for her own career in education.

“Mrs. Barrientos is the reason why I became a bilingual teacher,” said Samuel, who was named the Bilingual Teacher of the Year for 2014 by the Houston Area Association for Bilingual Educators. “She consistently went out of her way to make me feel comfortable, not only as a student in her classroom, but also as a young girl living in the U.S. for the first time.”

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Moving forward: Everything you should know about HISD promotion standards

It’s that time of year when parents and students may be concerned about whether they have met requirements to advance to the next grade, and HISD is making promotion standards – as well as a series of frequently asked questions – easily accessible to find answers.

In addition to appearing here, the standards can be located on each school website, in the Student Requirements section of this www.houstonisd.org website, and on the Plan Your Path web section that addresses overall education planning and requirements for graduation. The FAQs are available in the Student Requirements section and on the Plan Your Path area, by clicking the Questions bar.

Here are HISD promotion standards:

Grade Level Promotion Standards
1 and 2
  • Students must pass High Frequency Word Test – Recognizing and reading words that appear very often in written and spoken language.
  • State requirement of overall yearly average of 70 or above and local requirement of an average of 70 or above in reading, other language arts, mathematics, and science or social studies.
  • Students must have sufficient attendance*
3, 4 and 5
  • Students must pass STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) in reading and math.
  • State requirement of overall yearly average of 70 or above and local requirement of an average of 70 or above in reading, other language arts, mathematics, and science or social studies.
  • Students must have sufficient attendance*
6, 7 and 8
  • Students must pass STAAR in reading and math.
  • State requirement of overall yearly average of 70 or above and a local requirement of an average of 70 or above in three of the four core courses: Language arts (average of reading and English), mathematics, science, and social studies.
  • Students must have sufficient attendance*
9 – 12
  • Students are promoted based on their total accumulated course credits prior to the beginning of the next school year.
  • Individual course credit is earned through a passing grade of 70% or above and sufficient attendance*

*Sufficient attendance: A student’s total number of unexcused absences cannot exceed 10% of class meetings.

Wharton K-8 Dual Language Academy wins award for academic excellence in Spanish

Wharton K-8 Dual Language Academy has won the Embassy of Spain’s elementary award for Academic Excellence in Spanish.

“I am extraordinarily proud of the work that our faculty and staff have put into creating our outstanding dual language school,” Wharton Principal Jennifer Day said.

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Elementary students learn to litter less, recycle more

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With clipboards and spring scales handy, fifth-grade students at Red Elementary School traveled from class to class to weigh bins of recycled paper.

“I hope it’s a high number,” said student Jayden Brown while picking up a recycle bin full of paper. “Recycling is a good way to keep the Earth clean.”

Last week, the students weighed bins from 21 classrooms and found that their classmates and teachers had recycled 27 pounds of paper – nine pounds more than what was collected in March.

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Does your child need to go to summer school? Apply by May 19

If your child needs to attend a summer school program, be sure to apply soon – the deadline is May 19. You may download the application online, but it must be turned in to the main office at your child’s school.

Summer school programs are coordinated at the district level, planned at the campus level, and customized to meet the needs of students.  Because each participating campus plans the programs, schools have the flexibility to set the dates and times for classes. Please check with your campus directly for its schedule. No classes will be held on Friday, July 4.

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Reagan student mentors host field trip for Helms fourth-graders

Two dozen fourth-grade students from Helms Elementary School recently got a taste of high school when they visited Reagan High School as part of collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston.

Reagan students have been mentoring the Helms students this year. The Helms students were greeted with a big banner when they arrived at Reagan.

The students broke up into groups and participated in a scavenger hunt around the school. The Helms students also learned all about the career pathways offered at Reagan.

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Garden Oaks Montessori anti-bullying honor for ‘making sure everybody has a place at the table’

When Principal Lindsey Pollock was approached by a group of parents last year with concerns about some of the other families at Garden Oaks Montessori, she said, “Gosh, I’m going to have to do something about that.”

But instead of encouraging their intolerance, she brought the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s (HRC) Welcoming Schools program to the campus, which takes a comprehensive approach to bullying prevention and creating a safe and supportive environment at elementary schools. Its approach is lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) inclusive and creates school climates that welcome all family structures and all students.

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2,000+ students participate in Special Olympics field days

More than 2,000 Houston ISD students from more than 120 schools participated last week in the second annual field days hosted by the district and Special Olympics Texas.

The events were for students who have intellectual disabilities.

“It’s so important because it gives our children the opportunity to participate just as regular athletes do,” teacher Lynn Mayer said.

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HISD announces 2014 Teachers of the Year at Celebration of Excellence

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HISD held its third annual Celebration of Excellence at the Hilton Americas Hotel on May 1, 2014, to honor the many dedicated professionals who contribute to the success of Houston’s students on a daily basis.

Among those recognized at the event were the district’s Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, who were revealed for the first time that evening.

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Atherton drumline, cheering squad performing at national conference

atherton_drumlineThe Atherton Elementary School drumline and cheerleaders are taking their award-winning and upbeat percussion and dance routine on the road for the first time.

Thirty-two fourth- and fifth-grade students in the drumline and cheerleading program headed to Palm Springs, Calif., on Tuesday morning to perform at a national after-school conference called the Best of Out-of-School Time (BOOST) Conference. This is the group’s first time performing out of state, and the students are scheduled to perform Wednesday through Friday at the conference for about 2,000 attendees at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

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